dturnmire
Bronze Member
When I purchased a PT-180 a couple of years ago, it was with the full knowledge that not being a mechanic (took auto mechanics in high school in 1968) I would probably run into things that I would have no clue as to what to do. After looking at other products, the Power Trac kept coming back and I took the plunge.
I have brush hogged all the rough areas of my 3 1/2 acres and use it now for pretty much just cutting grass.
One of the first lessons I learned is that when cutting grass, the stem on the front driver side wheel will be ripped off by grass accumulating. Solution: Reverse the wheels and get much more stability or one might weld the stem hole shut and use the stem on the other side of the wheel. I would not even consider reversing the wheels back now.
Another thing is running over thorns and thistles one is bound to get a flat tire. Solution: Get Green Slime! I may get a thicker ply tire in the future.
Another thing one must realize is MAKE SURE THE HYDRAULIC COUPLERS ARE CONNECTED SECURELY! I made that mistake and blew a seal. Which brings up the next tip. Beware of unscrupulous repair shops. I took my motor to one locally and they were going to charge me $350.00. I realized it had a TWO YEAR warranty and Power Trac repaired it free costing only shipping and handling. I learned that any maintainance man who works on forklifts and pallet jacks can easily replace seals. I have a friend who works at a warehouse and said he would gladly replace a seal for the cost of the kit in the future.
Another thing that came up was how to take the brush cutter apart to have the seal replaced. After watching a man who works on tractors do it one time, I was amazed how simple it is. All one needs is a cheap gear puller. However this brings up another thing not given in the manual. When putting the blade back on, one should use Loctite 680 for securing the cog to the shaft. However, the man who put the cutter back together the first time stripped a couple of the three screws that give torque to the shaft and the blade came off again. Solution: Replace the three bolts with GRADE 8 quality and tighten securely.
Another thing that is aggravating is I have had two of the plastic wheels break that ride on the back of the brush cutter. Power Trac sells them for $25.00 a wheel but one must have at least a $50.00 order. Solution: Go to Ace Hardware and buy a steel 8" wheel and the problem is solved.
These may seem like pretty simple things to most on this forum, but I have had to learn as I go and what may seem simple to some, are really mountains to others.
Here is a photo of the three bolts I replaced with grade 8 quality.
I have brush hogged all the rough areas of my 3 1/2 acres and use it now for pretty much just cutting grass.
One of the first lessons I learned is that when cutting grass, the stem on the front driver side wheel will be ripped off by grass accumulating. Solution: Reverse the wheels and get much more stability or one might weld the stem hole shut and use the stem on the other side of the wheel. I would not even consider reversing the wheels back now.
Another thing is running over thorns and thistles one is bound to get a flat tire. Solution: Get Green Slime! I may get a thicker ply tire in the future.
Another thing one must realize is MAKE SURE THE HYDRAULIC COUPLERS ARE CONNECTED SECURELY! I made that mistake and blew a seal. Which brings up the next tip. Beware of unscrupulous repair shops. I took my motor to one locally and they were going to charge me $350.00. I realized it had a TWO YEAR warranty and Power Trac repaired it free costing only shipping and handling. I learned that any maintainance man who works on forklifts and pallet jacks can easily replace seals. I have a friend who works at a warehouse and said he would gladly replace a seal for the cost of the kit in the future.
Another thing that came up was how to take the brush cutter apart to have the seal replaced. After watching a man who works on tractors do it one time, I was amazed how simple it is. All one needs is a cheap gear puller. However this brings up another thing not given in the manual. When putting the blade back on, one should use Loctite 680 for securing the cog to the shaft. However, the man who put the cutter back together the first time stripped a couple of the three screws that give torque to the shaft and the blade came off again. Solution: Replace the three bolts with GRADE 8 quality and tighten securely.
Another thing that is aggravating is I have had two of the plastic wheels break that ride on the back of the brush cutter. Power Trac sells them for $25.00 a wheel but one must have at least a $50.00 order. Solution: Go to Ace Hardware and buy a steel 8" wheel and the problem is solved.
These may seem like pretty simple things to most on this forum, but I have had to learn as I go and what may seem simple to some, are really mountains to others.
Here is a photo of the three bolts I replaced with grade 8 quality.
